SAINT-ETIENNE, France -- It took 13 seconds for Aron Gunnarsson to make his presence felt, even in the long shadow of Cristiano Ronaldo. Iceland's bearded captain put perhaps the greatest footballer on earth to the ground with a hard tackle. The game seemed to stop for a moment, while everyone waited for a whistle that didn't come. The referee waved play on. Gunnarsson did stop, though, to lean over Ronaldo, still lying on the ground. Whatever he said, it didn't look like an apology.
That tackle, a classic, fearsome reducer, set the tone for a sometimes crunching 1-1 draw.